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Boardroom is a sports, media and entertainment brand co-founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman and focused on the intersection of sports and entertainment. Boardroom’s flagship media arm features premium video/audio, editorial, daily and weekly newsletters, showcasing how athletes, executives, musicians and creators are moving the business world forward. Boardroom’s ecosystem encompasses B2B events and experiences (such as its renowned NBA and WNBA All-Star events) as well as ticketed conferences such as Game Plan in partnership with CNBC. Our advisory arm serves to consult and connect athletes, brands and executives with our broader network and initiatives.

Recent film and TV projects also under the Boardroom umbrella include the Academy Award-winning Two Distant Strangers (Netflix), the critically acclaimed scripted series SWAGGER (Apple TV+) and Emmy-nominated documentary NYC Point Gods (Showtime).

Boardroom’s sister company, Boardroom Sports Holdings, features investments in emerging sports teams and leagues, including the Major League Pickleball team, the Brooklyn Aces, NWSL champions Gotham FC, and MLS’ Philadelphia Union.

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Deals & Investments December 15, 2021

Bose Drops NIL Gift Bonanza

Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Bose announced its inaugural class of six student-athletes that it has signed to NIL deals. The players will also be able to gift product to their teammates.

Bose, the company long-known as the NFL‘s official headphone sponsor, announced Wednesday that it is entering the NCAA NIL landscape in a significant way.

Team Bose released its inaugural list of six athletes: Michigan defensive end and Heisman Trophy finalist Aidan Hutchinson, Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder, Memphis basketball center Jalen Duren, Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams, Ohio State quarterback and Heisman finalist CJ Stroud, and Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown.

And during the holidays, Bose is embracing the season of giving with this NIL initiative.

Before the NIL era began in July, peer-to-peer gifting was not allowed among student-athletes. But now, Team Bose will be given either Bose QuietComfort Earbuds and/or QuietComfort 45 headphones to give to their college teammates. The NIL deal runs through the players’ respective seasons.

Michigan defensive end and Heisman Trophy finalist Aidan Hutchinson is officially a Bose NIL athlete.

“After several years of working with NFL players, Olympics athletes, F1 drivers, and others in elite disciplines, this felt like a natural fit,” Bose’s chief marketing officer said Jim Mollica said. “We’re looking forward to fostering our relationships with these young athletes and helping them to perform at their highest level.”

Bose will aim to further support and collaborate with these football and basketball stars both as athletes and as students. And it should be no surprise that this announcement comes just two weeks before Williams and the Crimson Tide take on Ridder and the Bearcats in the College Football Playoff semifinals, while Hutchinson and the Wolverines look to slow down Georgia in the other semi. Hutchinson could be taken as the top overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, while Williams could go in the top 10. Duren is a projected top 10 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, all of which would allow Bose to make major inroads in endorsing the next generation of top professional athletes.